


Balance

by Dracostar



Category: The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Night Terrors, Some Plot, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2020-10-27 00:30:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20751332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracostar/pseuds/Dracostar
Summary: A traveling Skeksis, by some horrid twist of fate, meets his UrRu counterpart. One is optimistic and kind, the other filled with contempt and bitterness for the world. As they find themselves thrown into a string of strange circumstances that ultimately pulls them closer together, they discover that maybe they aren't so different afterall.Maybe Balance is acheiveable.





	1. United

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SkekYag the Geologist and UrVi the Dreamer meet each other through rather painful circumstances.

**Chapter 1: United in Pain **

He didn't realize it until it was too late, and by then he was already falling. 

The rope that had kept him suspended against the cliff face snapped, leaving him only a moment to contemplate what was happening; then there was a brief flash of panic, fear, a pain as his flailing arm caught against something- then, his entire weight crashed down with a shaking _ thud _. 

But, whether it was some sort of mercy from Thra or sheer luck, he landed on a pile of soft sediments, and did not die. At the same time, however, not so lucky: he was not spared entirely from injury. A burning, rending sensation in his arm reminded him of this. 

The Skeksis hissed and clutched the new wound, cursing himself for his own folly of trusting such an old rope, then, habitually, everything else around him: the suns' rays scalding him through his dark cloak, the hot sand beneath him, the little buzzing insects that sought entry into his open flesh, and even the tiniest creatures that crawled through the desert terrain. All of them he cursed, all of them he wished for in his cruel heart to suffer like he himself was. If only he could inflict his pain upon them all…

His only comfort in this moment was that there was a small cavern indented into the cliff nearby, so there was no question as to shelter, however crude it may be. With a snort of contempt for the pain, he arose and began to limp towards the entrance. A damp, cool smell entered his nostrils, and here his geological mind was able to identify the exact mineral deposits that formed these layers within the rock walls; but that didn't matter now. All that mattered was that he was getting out of the heat.

Blood dripped from his wound and into the sand below him, changing it to a dirty red-orange color that he hated. The droplets splattered against the sand, fragmenting like shattered glass…

He reached up tentatively with his one good arm and felt for his monocle: yet another miracle. It was unbroken nor cracked, but his ungrateful mentality could not comprehend that he should've felt joyful. With a grunt, he kneeled against the farthest wall of the cave, clutching the wound tighter as if the pressure alone would heal it. He closed his eyes, then quietly cursed himself for not bringing any bandages. What was he to do now? 

He kneeled over further, cradling his arm like a child. It burned, it stung, it was going to get infected, and there was nothing he could do. He might as well give up now. 

A soft clatter caught him in these terminal musings and made him draw his gaze to the entrance of the cave. A dark figure stood at the gaping mouth, as if he had always been there, a natural part of the landscape the Skeksis hadn't noticed: but he was unnatural to this world, just as he himself was. 

But what had brought him here? How had he even known the geologist was studying in these deserts? SkekYag had thought he left him behind for good when they parted near that podling village...what did he want? 

Instinct took over. He scrambled further away from the cave entrance as the slouched figure crept forward slowly. He hissed as the sound of the crystals on the staff and his braids clattering came closer with each step, making the Skeksis shake with fear. 

Finally the figure stopped, and they were facing each other, neither one speaking; one tense, snarling, hunched over where he had once stood. The other: calm, tranquil, still, like one of the rock formations that surrounded them. A moment passed, as each silently examined the other. 

Finally, the tranquil one saw it fit to break the silence. His eyes glanced over the shivering Skeksis before him. 

"...You took a rather...nasty fall." He said. 

The Skeksis hissed. "So what?!" He snapped, his urges rising to the surface in synch with the throbbing in his wounds, an intense melody of fear and pain drowned out by anger. 

The blue-tinted glasses on the UrRu's snout slid slightly downward with the direction of his chin. "...You are hurt," he said simply. 

There was no denying the fact: fresh blood was weeping through the black sleeve of his robe, sticking the rough cloth to the tender injuries. The Mystic inhaled sharply, sending the Skeksis's paranoid mind into a racing state: was he angry? Would he hurt him?- He tensed up further, his feathers bristling. 

But no blow came. The Mystic exhaled slowly, opening his eyes again. 

"...Please, let me help." He said. 

SkekYag didn't dignify that with any other response than a snort of contempt. Help? Who would help him? What did this foolish old heap think he would gain by _ helping _ him? 

The Mystic drew closer. The Skeksis hissed animalistically, scrambling into the wall, hunching and baring his teeth; his feathers were on edge, making him appear like a wild, savage creature, without any remnants of civilization in him at all: unlike him...but pain tended to warp creatures in that way. UrVi had seen it before. 

The mystic saw he would not get any closer, not for awhile, at least. Instead, he sat back on his haunches, calmly taking out his pipe and setting it alight. He inhaled a modest amount, taking the enriching scent into his lungs before releasing it in the form of a small cloud. His aloof gaze did not touch the wounded. 

His entire body language said: "I'll wait." 

SkekYag did not care:his mind was devoted to escape, escape from this place, from the pain, from _ him _. His eyes darted frantically about the small cavern, his senses heightened by adrenaline and the stinging, burning pain in his forearm. 

_ "Like an animal," _ he thought, bitter and angry. 

But moments passed. The suns set, darkness consumed them. The blood that had dripped from the Skeksis's wound was warm still, but was starting to dry and smell. It mingled with the scent of the smoke, and drifted out the wide mouth of the cave beyond the UrRu, taking to the sky and soon disappearing. SkekYag was starting to lose valuable blood, and consciousness: but he would not sleep. Sleep was death. Sleep was giving up. He did not want it, although his body begged him to reconsider. 

He squinted in the darkness, studying the Mystic as best as he could with his limited vision. It was a clear night, and the moons shone brightly behind the UrRu's head. That, combined with the dim spark from his pipe which illuminated the spiral markings of his snout, and the blue smoke from his nostrils, gave him an even more arcane appearance. His gaze was still very much aloof, distant, like his mind was set in a trance- was he meditating? 

_ "Maybe this is my chance to escape," _ he thought. 

His beady eyes, defective as they were in the dark, kept their hold on the UrRu's own. Slowly-torturously so for a Skeksis- he began to creep to the side. The Mystic made no move.

Another inch to the left…

Another inch…

Another inch… 

He was now beside him. His wounds burned and screamed at him with every movement, but he clenched his jaw against it, determined to have his own way; but his physical condition would not allow it. It hurt too much to move like this. 

Fine, then. He could compromise. He would sit still until the pain ebbed away, then resume his escape. He could wait this out. He could- 

SkekYag's wrist was gently gripped in a warm hand. He froze solid, anxiety grabbed hold of his lungs and his brain. 

The Mystic glanced down at him, then the arm he held, putting down the pipe to replace its presence in his focus with his patient. The Skeksis watched in fear as the soiled sleeve was gingerly pulled back, revealing the three jagged, bloody marks carved into his flesh. He winced, feeling his stomach churn at the sight, and looked away. His heart pounded. 

UrVi knew this. UrVi knew he was scared and alone, understood that he was hurt, and thus acting more irrationally than he otherwise would; but, nonetheless, the wound must be cleaned, unless it fester and decay. Another of his hands delved into a pocket hidden within the folds of his robes, and reappeared with a bundle of white cloth and a small jar. 

SkekYag made a hissing noise as UrVi unscrewed the lid. The mystic sighed to himself and used another hand to begin gently petting the thin black feathers on the Skeksis' head, in an attempt to soothe him, so that he might proceed. 

Jaws in a quick blur closed around that hand which sought to heal, breaking through the skin with its teeth. Twin wounds appeared on the hand of both the afflicted and the inflictor: twin cries of pain. The Mystic clutched their wound, the Skeksis clutched his wound. 

Realization at that moment took its hold over SkekYag's mind: more of a sick twisting in his stomach, really. As the UrRu nursed the bite the Skeksis lashed out and grabbed their upper right arm, pulling the sleeve away to confirm his suspicions. The arm was dressed in a thick layer of bandages that smelled much like the salve in the jar the mystic was still holding. 

SkekYag growled. "...So...You're my other half." 

UrVi glanced at him with something akin to apology as be bandaged the bite. "...Yes. it would seem so." 

"...That's how you knew where to find me," SkekYag narrowed his eyes, his tone accusatory and suspicious. 

UrVi snapped the bandage off and tied it to keep it firm. "...One could say that," He said softly. 

A burning sensation built up in SkekYag's chest, something he couldn't quite describe with words: he assumed it was anger...but it didn't feel like the usual flame that would twist up from the depths of his soul, singeing him until it burst forth like an inferno. It was not fear, either, nor hunger...nor sadness: such concepts (beyond hunger or anger) were near foreign to him. 

So what was it? He most certainly was not grateful to this..._ mockery _ of him. The enemy couldn't want to help him out of the kindness of his heart...what were his intentions? His motives? 

As SkekYag sat deep in thought, he hadn't even noticed that he was being treated. Automatically he whimpered as the wound was cleaned and touched, and took limited notice when the UrRu resumed petting him. He hummed, filling the stone chamber with a soothing reverberation that SkekYag could not reject. It seeped into him, filled his ribcage, and forced his heart to beat in synch with its rhythm. He hated it. 

UrVi released him at last. The lack of warmth, the tightness of the bandage, and the strange smell of the salve let him know that his counterpart had finished with him. The unappreciative Skeksis only snatched his arm away and curled up against the wall, refusing to acknowledge that he had received help, or that his own half sat right beside him. 

The UrRu did not mind. He did not expect thanks or gratitude from such a creature: but he was him, and they were one. That, to him, was enough. He picked up the still smoking pipe and again took a deep inhale. The smoke in his lungs helped to soothe the pain in his limbs and relaxed the overflow of anxious nerves that rose from this confrontation. 

Neither said anything as long as the night stood. Silence reigned over their still forms, and one drifted to dreamless sleep. The other sat and took watch, listening to the song of Thra as the Sisters sank lower in the sky, and soon the slow, tedious contemplations that wore across his mind became a single thought: 

He had found him...so what now? 

  
  
  



	2. The Long Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UrVi gets his way.

**Chapter 2: The Long Road **

SkekYag had no clear way of knowing how long he had been asleep. All he knew was that he had opened his eyes to brightness, and the murky feeling of tiredness that clogged his thinking...and then he heard singing. 

He didn't register fully what it was causing it at first: for a second, he thought perhaps Thra was calling him home. 

" _ So be it," _ He murmured groggily to himself. The world would be no different without him, or that puerile UrRu. 

_ The UrRu... _

The UrRu was singing! And playing some sort of instrument as well, something stringed that intermingled with that earthly, surreal voice, and made it sound like a melody from a deep dream rather than reality. 

But SkekYag could recognize some of the words...or at least, he thought he could…was the UrRu singing in podling? And did he smell food? 

His curiosity (and hunger) caused him to rise from his bed of dust and rock. He cursed his bones and bruised muscles as they groaned at him for making them move. The Skeksis grumbled at them in turn and limped to the mouth of the cave, where the singing was loudest. 

The Mystic was sitting on a large round stone, his head tilted up towards the sky as he sang in that reposeful voice; but instead of being the mindless chanting his kind were known for, the song came out as tangible words that SkekYag could now understand as podling; it seemed a sort of ebullient scherzo that the Mystic had picked up from somewhere and was trying to replicate in his own way. 

SkekYag could not help but be mesmerized by the way all four of those limbs worked on the instrument: two hands, one for each neck, held the strings down as the other two strummed. In the action itself there was a dance of hands and fingers and strings that translated into melody, and when the voice was added, a song; It made the Skeksis' head spin to think of how the Mystic didn't get tangled up somehow. 

"...I see someone is a fan of sitar?" 

SkekYag yet again found himself too caught up in his contemplations to notice that the UrRu had stopped singing. He looked up, accidentally meeting his dark blue eyes. The Mystic continued to play without once looking down to observe his work, as if all the gestures came naturally to him. His face was calm, but not entirely placid as expected...Actually, he was smiling: a true, genuine expression that reached those eyes, forming lines. 

SkekYag had never seen anything like it. It almost scared him. He huffed and fluffed his neck feathers to appear more intimidating. 

"...It sounds silly to  _ me _ ," he growled. 

UrVi's smile didn't fade. It only grew. 

"Good," the UrRu chuckled, "I hope my song tickled you; that was the point." 

He placed his instrument down and reached over poke the dying remains of a bonfire with a stick. It smoked, and what looked like charred bits of meat sizzled against the red stone they laid upon. SkekYag's mouth watered.

"I already ate, so you can have all of this." UrVi said, gesturing to the rather pleasant smelling meal. 

SkekYag did not hesitate. He took a bite out of one of the charred bits, expecting to taste some sort of roasted meat; instead, something entirely different touched his tastebuds. The Skeksis had to pause mid-bite in shock: what was this? What had his counterpart given him? 

He immediately stopped chewing with both a disconcerted and sour expression. He slowly pivoted his head in UrVi's direction. 

"...Whatisdis?" He mumbled over a mouthful of the substance. 

UrVi laughed. "You've never eaten mushrooms before?" 

SkekYag creased his brow. "Musmhooms?" 

His counterpart nodded. "A species known as Moogs' Friend, to be exact." 

SkekYag paused again, then slowly- ever so slowly- resumed chewing. Once his initial shock and confusion faded, he was able to actually enjoy the unique flavor of the cooked fungi. UrVi continued to talk as his Skeksis ate: 

"I figured you wouldn't enjoy herbs and plants the way I would, and those aren't really plentiful around here either," (SkekYag found himself amused by how quickly the Mystic spoke; so strange. So unusual), "and I wasn't going to willingly harm any of Thra's creatures, so I thought mushrooms were a good compromise." 

Mushrooms weren't plants or meat, but they had a robust, savory texture that was very similar to nebrie when cooked. UrVi enjoyed making stews with them, and he hoped that SkekYag would agree. 

The UrRu's counterpart swallowed and blinked. Surprisingly...not terrible. Rather good, actually. SkekYag glanced to UrVi, who seemed to be waiting expectantly for an opinion. 

"...Not...that bad." He admitted with hesitance. 

UrVi nodded. "I'm glad you think so. You'll be eating plenty on our journey." 

SkekYag simply resigned himself to this fact with a nod until the statement registered fully in his brain.

"Wait... _ our _ journey?! Mushrooms?!" 

He growled again and barred his sharp teeth, all of his dark grey and black feathers standing on edge. "Now who said I'd be allowing  _ you _ to come with me? You don't even know where I'm going- and how dare you decide what I'm going to eat! If I want to eat an animal, Thra help me, I will!" 

The Skeksis snapped and shouted at the UrRu, who only received the wrathful reproach with calm; They even had the audacity to smile and tilt their head at him, making the crystal beads in their braids clatter lightly. 

"Do  _ you _ even know where you are going?" They asked, and the slight tone they used began to plant seeds of doubt in SkekYag's brain…

He huffed, becoming defensive. "None of your business! You've had your weird fun, I'm sure, now shoo! Go home! Get high off of...leaves, or something!" He made a wild gesture for the UrRu to leave, but one wrong move set his entire arm ablaze with burning pain. 

Both Skeksis and Mystic cried out and clutched their respective bandages, one hissing and the other humming. After a moment UrVi chuckled. 

"Now see? Look what you've done!" It was their turn to reproach their counterpart, but despite the pain he had unwittingly caused, their tone was playful. It confused SkekYag greatly, but he chose to express it with rage: rage never befuddled him. 

"What I've done?! Look what  _ you've _ done! You-" 

UrVi arched their eye crests and tilted their snout downward, giving the Skeksis the most dubious look over their glasses. 

"And what have I done? Bandaged your wound, kept watch while you slept, fed you-" 

"Oh, so now I owe you something?" SkekYag sneered, "I thought Mystics were generous and kind!" 

"I am, and I was only making a point, and anyway are you coming or not?" The Mystic had packed up his things as this banter had gone on, and was currently walking around the cliff. 

SkekYag adjusted his monocle and began following him, pulling up his hood to protect himself from the suns. 

"And what point is that?" SkekYag didn't want UrVi to leave just yet. He wanted to beat him down with argument, defeat him with logic and reason; that had always been his way. 

UrVi shrugged. "I'm just saying: don't bite the hand that feeds you. Instead of complaining all of the time, maybe being just a tad grateful for the tiny blessings that come along could do wonders for the mind." 

The Skeksis barely refrained from rolling his eyes. Typical Mystics, thinking just "thanking Thra" would solve all of their problems. Direct action was the only way to get things done, in the geologist's opinion; but then again...UrRu were not known for their great deeds. Not like the Skeksis. 

"Oh really? How so?" SkekYag's favorite challenge: now the debate would truly begin. 

_ "Try to defend yourself and your otiose ways, Mystic." _ He thought smugly. 

UrVi paused for a moment, that aloof gaze turning to the crystal clear sky. SkekYag was sure he had won. He sped up, now walking at his counterpart's side and peering at his expression, expecting to see perturbation or discomfiture; but no!- That irritating smile again, reflecting the Skeksis' failure! 

"Well," They began, "instead of saying:  _ 'this food is so bland!' _ , you could say,  _ 'I'm happy I get to eat today!' _ . Instead of thinking:  _ 'my bandaged arm hurts!' _ you could say:  _ 'I'm glad UrVi came along when he did and cleaned it for me!' _ ." 

SkekYag's other half smiled up at him, a slight twinkle in one of those dark blue eyes, as if laughing at him. 

"Thinking like that may not directly change things in the physical realm, but it does have the effect of making things  _ seem _ better than they are; and if things  _ seem _ better in your perspective, then that makes your problems weigh a little less heavily upon you, and maybe even easier to face!" 

Oh, SkekYag wanted to wipe that smug look off of his face...but the most frustrating thing was, he couldn't even do that: UrVi didn't look smug at all. He was just smiling. The Skeksis hated that, too. 

SkekYag retreated for a moment into his mind, motivated by agitation, racking his brain for any philosophical dogma he could use to turn the debate to his favor. An idea began to form, then a thought...a string of arguments and reasoning…

"Hm...So luring oneself into a false sense of hope; lying to yourself...yes, how  _ very _ useful! But for how long?" Here, SkekYag really sneered, making sure he appeared  _ very _ smug. 

"How long," he continued, "will that false positivity get someone through these struggles? Just thinking happy thoughts doesn't change things, after all. Direct action is the only way to change things...and often there are things outside of your control that cannot be changed."

There. Let's see if that vapid smile still stands after that. 

UrVi fell back into silence before responding. 

"...I wasn't saying you should lie to yourself," he said, "I was saying just thinking positively can put you in a more motivated mindset…" 

And thus UrVi had gotten his way, without SkekYag even noticing, and even if he had, it would've been too late to turn back. He was too invested in the debate to possibly leave his other half the last word. 

And thus the Skeksis was defeated by his own stubborn nature and pertinacious desire to be right. 


	3. In The Thicket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SkekYag discovers something strange about UrVi.

The sisters shone brightly overhead, their silver light playing games with the shadows. The air was cool-not cold-but crisp enough for one to move near the fire for warmth. SkekYag pulled his cloak closer around his neck, shivering lightly from the exposure. 

He glanced across the fire at his counterpart, the Dreamer, who had a thick wooden spoon on hand, stirring the contents of a medium sized pot. Where it had come from, SkekYag didn't know, but he at least appreciated the smell the thick concoction emitted; it reminded him of the hearty stews of the Grottans. Those were crude, but always delicious. 

SkekYag tilted his snout upwards and glanced down at his counterpart, pretending to be wholly uninterested: he found it was often a terrible idea to let UrVi knew he  _ liked _ things; they'd get a big, stupid grin on their face if they thought the bitter Skeksis  _ liked _ something. 

"...So what are you making?" He sniffed. 

UrVi didn't look up from stirring. "Roasted mushroom soup, made with Mounder milk for the broth." 

SkekYag blinked. "...Where on Thra did you get the milk from? We haven't passed any merchants yet!" 

"That hill behind you could probably give you an answer," UrVi chirped cheerily, and SkekYag could hear a distinct call coming from somewhere behind it. 

He swiveled his head around, his feathers on edge. "There were Mounders here? Is there a tamer nearby? Did we seriously pass a village and not-" 

UrVi poked him with the handle of the spoon to silence him. "Calm down, Shrill Shrookill; those are wild Mounders." 

"Then how on Thra did you-" 

The UrRu poked him again with a twinkle of laughter in their eye. 

"Animal Soul Speak is quite a useful skill. I simply asked if I could have some of what a mother had plenty of." 

SkekYag reached up with a claw and smoothed down his feathers, trying to relax. What was it about his other half that always got under his skin? They weren't alarming in anyway, besides that stupid smile of theirs; the way it was just so... _ friendly _ . It bothered him and angered him in ways he couldn't explain. 

SkekYag decided  _ not _ to think about that; instead, he watched the soup boil, pretending that it was the heat of his rage that made the contents of the pot bubble that way. That helped him feel somewhat better, and once his mind was focused enough he picked through whatever cynical philosophies he could strengthen to win their ongoing argument. He hated how UrVi had changed the subject last time: it felt so sneaky and underhanded, like the UrRu was  _ purposefully _ trying to drag out the debate for as long as they could. 

He huffed and pulled up his hood to defend against the chill of the wind. No matter, he thought: he would win in the end. Surely, the change of conversation topic last time simply meant the Mystic could not defend their viewpoint, and had only been looking for a way to escape the discussion before SkekYag discovered the truth. 

His feathers straightened up. A smirk began to slide across his features, becoming venomous towards his prey. He chuckled lightly to himself. 

"Oh, UrVi~" He purred in a sing-song tone. 

UrVi raised their head and blinked at their counterpart, completely unassuming. Then, they saw SkekYag's smirk; but to the Skeksis' utter chagrin, the Mystic smiled back, placed his chin in one of his hands, and rested the burdened elbow on his knee.

"What? What is it? What are you smirking about,  _ hm _ ?" They said in a sickeningly sweet voice, with a tone one would use to speak to a beloved baby fizzgig. 

It took every fiber of the skeksis' being to not snap at him then and there. He inhaled to keep his composure before going on. 

"Oh, nothing," SkekYag matched their tone, fluttering his eyelashes to add salt to the wound, "I was just wondering…" 

He paused for dramatic effect, waiting for his prey to creep closer to the trap before he brought it down. UrVi leaned in, fluttering his eyelids as well. 

" _ Hmmm?" _

"Why…" 

" _ Hmmmmmmm? _ " 

SkekYag grinned with all of his sharp teeth. 

"...You changed the subject earlier," He growled, dripping venom where there had once been honey. 

UrVi froze. SkekYag's wicked grin only grew sharper when those navy blue eyes widened. He was about to go for the kill, pin them down with a fresh assault of philosophical discourse- but the Mystic did something entirely unexpected. 

Their brow furrowed, their shoulders lowered; they looked for all the world like SkekYag had just insulted their cooking. 

" _ That's _ what you wanted to say?" They said incredulously, " _ That's _ what you were smirking about?- You just wanted to argue with me again?" 

SkekYag blinked, his grin fading into perplexed shock. He cocked his head to the side, nearly making his monocle fall off. 

"I...You didn't…? Why are you upset?" He was genuinely confused. 

UrVi glanced away, looking almost ashamed. The handle of the spoon rolled between his hands. 

"Mmn...I don't know...I just thought that...maybe you were going to say something funny," he mumbled. 

SkekYag's feathers fluffed up. He raised an eyecrest and thrust his neck forward at the sheer  _ absurdity _ of the statement. 

"Funny?!" He squawked, "Why would I say something  _ funny _ ?" 

UrVi shrugged. "I don't know…it's just...I saw you smiling, so I thought that maybe you were thinking of a joke you wanted to share…" 

A vague familiar feeling crept over the Geologist at UrVi's words, and the strange sad way in which they held themselves: guilt. He felt  _ guilty _ for making UrVi upset…but why? The Geologist certainly didn't care about his other half's feelings; it had to be the UrRu's emotions affecting his own, feedback he never gave consent to receive. 

"...No," he said coldly, "I wasn't." 

UrVi sighed and let the spoon disappear back into the stew. Silence, save for the distant call of Thra's children and the song of the insects surrounded the area. For a moment, SkekYag figured it would suffocate them, and so be it, he thought- but of course UrVi had to ruin that, too. 

"Well...do you want to hear one?" Their approach was tentative, annoyingly apologetic. 

SkekYag puffed out of his nostrils in rage and laid his chin in his hand, gazing vexatiously into the blazing flames. 

"...What have I to lose?" He grumbled, not without a hint of sarcasm. 

It looked as if UrVi was trying to repress a grin, but SkekYag caught sight of it before they were able to hide it. He rolled his eyes, but chose not to comment; morbid curiosity for now overrode his sharp tongue. 

"...Well," They began, "once, I went with the Archer into the Dark Woods. During our walk, it became night, so we set up an encampment. We then fell asleep, but when I next awoke, I discovered UrVa was awake as well. I asked him what he was doing up, and he said to me: 'UrVi, look at the sky. What do you see?' 

I looked up at the glory of the heavens, all of the stars and planets swirling above us. I said: 'I see the stars.' He said: 'And what can you tell from them?' 

I studied the stars for awhile. After my contemplations of the celestial bodies were finished, I turned to him and I said: 'I can tell that the universe is full of light and darkness, horror and beauty, good and evil; it is infinite, and in comparison we are nothing to its vastness. To live in it, is to be it; we are all only but a small part of the cosmic filament of existence.' 

He then turned to me, and said: 'No, it means the wind pitched over our tent!'" 

SkekYag paused, his breath hitching in his lungs. His eyes stopped mid-roll, urged on by the philosophical musings; but at the punchline his entire body became confused. He snorted, chortled...burst out into a full cacophony of maniacal laughter that shook his ribs painfully. 

"I-is that...is that based on a true story?" He cackled, reaching up to wipe a tear from his eye. 

His companion nodded. "Indeed. UrVa told me I was a little too daft for my own good: my musings often led me away from the real world." 

Though he was joking, there was a sort of melancholy in his tone, a sadness he couldn't keep from his eyes. UrVi may have thought it unnoticed; or perhaps it was unconscious, hidden from even himself; but SkekYag saw it. The mirth faded back into his usual resoluteness. He examined his counterpart in silence for a moment, trying to discern what it was that bothered him: not because he cared, but rather out of a sense of curiosity. 

"...So...You and this UrVa were...close?" He asked. 

UrVi nodded, again occupying himself in the swirling motion of the spoon. "...Perhaps." 

"Perhaps?  _ Perhaps _ is barely an answer: it is a yes or a no, mystic." SkekYag spat, having no patience for riddles of any kind. 

His counterpart physically cringed. "...Um...It's...complex…" 

"Well explain it as best you can." 

SkekYag didn't understand why UrVi squirmed that way; it was just a simple answer to a simple question, and yet his mystic was acting like the Geologist was sticking him with a hot poker. UrVi swallowed and glanced down at the bowls he was now filling. 

"Um...well...UrVa and I used to cross paths often," he began, "and I always held a certain...admiration towards him...but I don't think he ever liked me too much." 

The Urru swallowed, their eyes glimmering with moisture. They looked away quickly, clandestinely trying to wipe their eyes clean as they handed a steaming bowl to their Skeksis. SkekYag blinked at them, wanting to snort in contempt at the pathetic display of emotions, but simultaneously not wanting to sound anymore like the General than he possibly could. He looked down at the strange concoction in his bowl, sniffing at it hesitantly. Well...it didn't smell too bad. And UrVi was eating it, so surely it wasn't poisoned. 

He stuck his tongue out, lapping up the substance. A salty, savory, creamy taste filled his senses; it was warm, inviting, and even without the meat, satiating. Surprise consumed him, lifting his feathers. 

"...Hm...This is...good." He murmured. 

"Well I'm glad you think so." UrVi said, and then SkekYag realized he had said his compliment aloud. His only relief from this fact was that UrVi wasn't being so smug about it for once: they were just looking into their bowl, stirring the contents around with their spoon. 

A tension filled the air as SkekYag tried to find something else to say, or something to reprimand his counterpart for: but he could think of nothing to say, and the two remained in silence until it was time to sleep. 

His slumber was relatively peaceful, dreamless. A dark void behind his closed eyes, a refuge from the waking world and all of its troubles. His time here never seemed to last very long, and the hours passed by like seconds in between dusk and dawn; but while he was here, surrounded by dark thicker than that in the Caves of Grot, all was pleasant. 

But tonight was not a night for peace. SkekYag found his breathing abruptly halted, causing him need to arise and gasp. The fire was dim, dying: the first brother had yet to rise, but he was slowly waking the world with a silver of his light on the horizon. In the thicket around them, there were the sounds of creatures stirring. 

His breath evened out in the eerie calm. Too calm for his liking, perhaps. Too calm to be tranquility. 

And he was right: his hearing, sharpened by trine spent in Thra's underbelly began to pick up on the softest noises surrounding him; no wonder he found the surface world so unbearable. Everything was alive, constantly moving: the wind rattling the leaves, the insects and their insufferable chirping...the sobs of something far off. 

Sobs? 

Where was UrVi? 

Realization shook him to full awareness. The absence and lack of form near the fire shook him further, to the very core of his being; was UrVi hurt? Dragged away by some beast? Was SkekYag in danger? The anxiety prompted him to immediate action, if only for himself: surely, only for himself. 

He got up, ignoring the creaking of his bones as he rushed into the depths of the thicket, warily avoiding fragile sticks and crumpled leaves that would otherwise dull the sound he was tracking after. Occasionally it would stop, and he had to pause, waiting for the moment it would start up again, and he accordingly changed course. 

It took him a surprisingly long amount of time before he stumbled across his counterpart in a small clearing. He almost tripped over them, hardly recognizing their huddled form on the path. They laid upon their side, curled tightly in a fetal position, their eyes scrunched shut, but tears flowing out regardless. Broken sobs escaped them, muffled by their hair, making their shoulders shake and their thin body tremble. 

SkekYag's beak closed with a harsh clack, but UrVi did not respond. They trembled, shaken by their sobs rather than the chill of the air around them. Had they ran out here like this? Only to collapse in this pathetic pile? 

The Geologist was unsure if he should awaken his UrRu or not, for what would come of it if he did? He clicked his tongue idly, wringing his main pair of hands as the others clenched and unclenched upon themselves. Should he or shouldn't he? He was hardly used to making such decisions in such strange circumstances. 

Ultimately, he sat down beside the huddled form, unable to come to a decision: perhaps this was best, he thought, to keep an eye on him and ensure he traveled no further after all. As he waited, listening to UrVi's sobs, the suns began to rise. Blessed light brightened their surroundings, allowing him to see. He grumbled to himself and squinted in it: ever since he left the caves he had hated the light. How hot and unpleasant it was…

The Geologist had no time to reflect upon his own hatred of the Brothers, however: a quiet sound arose him from his internal ramblings and brought him back to the reality of his situation. The feathers on his head fluffed out as he turned his neck to glance down at his UrRu, stirring into awareness. 

UrVi huffed, puffed, tried to blow a curtain of their hair out of their face. SkekYag arose, immediately reached over, and gently pulled the curtain of hair away, thus forcing the Dreamer to face the sunlight. A soft moan escaped them, their eyelids fluttered into full awareness; finally they regarded their counterpart. 

SkekYag blinked down at them, holding his breath; UrVi blinked back for a quiet moment before yawning loudly, showing off an impressive array of fangs. 

"...Good morning," they cooed, "were you waiting for me to get up?" 

SkekYag blinked at him, entirely confused at this unperturbed state UrVi seemed to be in. For a moment, he could only snap his beak open and closed in his discomposure. His UrRu paid no mind, yawning, seeming oblivious to what had occurred the night before. 

"Hm...Wait...where is the campsite…? My glasses…" 

They arose and began to search, careless and fluid in their movements, almost like a dream. Their robes wrapped about their prehensile tail, threatening to trip them, and the Geologist quickly reached over to help them untangle themselves. Branches and twigs fell out of their mane as they allowed their counterpart this contact, almost grooming, though there was no tenderness in the tending; the glasses were found, and SkekYag placed them onto UrVi to his own satisfaction. 

UrVi blinked again, now semi-awake. "Oh. Thank you." 

Again, the opening and closing of his beak, though no sound came out. UrVi patted his nose and briskly walked past him, towards the last smoldering embers of the fire. In the sunlight filtering through the branches, they appeared like an apparition, all green light and flowing shadow. 

"...You don't remember anything? Nothing at all? The sobbing, the crying- what I assume was sleepwalking? All of that escapes you?" SkekYag said at last. 

UrVi paused. "...Sobbing?" The tensity of his muscles did not escape SkekYag's gaze. 

The Geologist followed them. 

"Yes, sleepwalking." He said, his tone cold and suspicious. 

They broke through into the clearing, the remaining embers from the fire still steaming in the daylight. UrVi reached over and took up his staff and satchel. He slung the bag over his shoulder, shrugging indolently. 

"...Hm, weird. Oh well. Are we going or not?" 

The UrRu took out his pipe with an aloof gaze towards the canopy above and began to light it as he walked. The gesture, usually so commonplace, now made SkekYag strangely uneasy; why wasn't UrVi more concerned with their own nighttime ramblings? 

A shiver went down SkekYag's spine. A cold the confines of his cloak could not save him from sank deeper than his bones. It was only reluctantly he followed after his counterpart, and then only behind them, where he could study every subtlety of their movements like he would the crevices of a cleaved stone, as if the secrets of their mental processes could be betrayed by the way they moved their hands or tilted their head. 

Something was wrong with UrVi, he decided, something that the Urru was either fully or partially aware of. What sort of disease it was, SkekYag didn't know, but he was certain of one thing: 

He wouldn't stay to watch it progress. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That joke UrVi told was based on a joke I read somewhere about Sherlock and Watson. I can't recall where it came from, but I'll credit it as soon as I can!


	4. Familiarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A storm sweeps our duo off their feet; UrVa makes an appearance.

SkekYag knew he wouldn't be affected by the Dreamer's disease; it was one of the mind, not the body.

Their physical forms were connected through the shared soul of their former self, but over the many trines that transpired, the two halves had become as different in mentality as a nurloc and a gelfling. Thus, one half may be affected by a sickness, while the other remained sound. 

SkekYag had seen it before. During his days in the Caves of Grot, he had witnessed firsthand the slow descent of the Storyteller's whittling memory, whilst the Satirist- to his knowledge- remained sharp as a tack. 

So he was not afraid to leave UrVi behind. He had only to wait for the perfect opportunity, and then disappear off the face of Thra before his counterpart could realize...put all this madness behind him. Maybe return to Domrak...no one would notice he had been gone. He could return to his life as a quiet shadow in the background of the Grottans' existence, a single note in the great soliloquy of Thra. 

Alone, unbothered as he completed his life's work for another thousand trine. Yes. That was what he really wanted. 

But this desire had been circumvented: the two had been traveling for unum now, heading in no particular direction. Many opportunities had appeared before for him to make an exit, but until this point something had always kept him back: a new idea to continue the argument, or maybe some strange sense of curiosity that drove him to keep UrVi's company further. 

But now the argument and the entire purpose of their debate meant nothing to him; now that he was certain of his counterpart's  _ madness _ , he felt confident leaving, knowing in his heart that he could hold on to his beliefs with steadfast resilience. 

_ "Let the Dreamer dream," _ he thought to himself that morning, as they again packed their things under a graying sky,  _ "it is none of my concern any longer." _

They walked, then steadily climbed as their path wound through the foothills of large, forested mountains. SkekYag took his place behind UrVi, watching as all six limbs were put into action. His own worked in synch, reaching when UrVi reached, aching whenever the strain became almost too much to bear; but whenever the Dreamer suggested they stop to rest, SkekYag would snap at him and bark to keep moving upward. 

A light drizzle began to fall the higher they climbed, making the moss-covered stones they gripped become slippery. The rain grew steadily heavier, weighing down their clothes, and soon a cold wind whipped about them, threatening to pull them off the side of the mountain. UrVi paused in the climb, turning to SkekYag with eyes full of rain- or maybe tears. 

"SkekYag," UrVi shouted over the wind whipping through their silken hair and robes, "we cannot go any further! It's storming- and- and I can't see!" 

SkekYag held onto his cloak hood with one of his smaller arms to keep it in place. It protected his eyes from the downpour, but he could see relatively well in the dark; an advantage he had over his counterpart. He growled and pulled himself up beside them, ignoring the pain in his limbs. 

"Fine," he yelled, "then you rest here! I'll keep going!" 

Good riddance. His heart pounded in his chest with giddy glee- he was going to be free! Free at last! - The excitement sent adrenaline coursing through his veins, urging him past exhaustion. 

"SkekYag!" UrVi screamed from behind him, their tone strangely woeful in the whistling wind. 

"Goodbye, UrVi!" 

"SkekYag, don't leave me!" Their voice hitched with a new octave of terror and desperation, but the wind snatched that away from the Skeksis' ears as well.

He ignored the stab of emotion stirring in his heart and climbed on, assuring himself that UrVi would be fine without him; they'd been through worse, he was certain. 

"SKEK-" 

He froze as UrVi's screams tore through the air, battling with the shrieks of the wind. SkekYag turned, his heart pounding with fear, as he realized his other half was no longer with him; the wind had snatched them up with cold talons- and, he realized with horror- it was about to take him with it. 

His claws dug into the stone, scrambling for purchase against the pounding rain. The wind slammed into him from above like a living thing, seeking maliciously to knock him to his doom, then swirled about, snagging onto his clothes and pulling him off the side of the mountain- he cursed, screamed- then screamed again as he was tossed into the dark oblivion that was the storm. 

**** 

For what seemed like eternity, he assumed he was dead. There was nothing but the inky void, cold and empty…but familiar. Why would death be familiar? It was entirely unnatural to him. 

Where had he seen it before? In the Caves of Grot? In a dream? 

No...he had seen it every time he closed his eyes. But he wasn't asleep...this semi-consciousness couldn't be sleep. 

Then he realized that his entire body ached and burned. His midsection was pressed in...like something heavy was sitting on it…

_ Or he was hanging on something.  _

He opened his eyes and gasped. 

He was hanging with all of his limbs dangling around a thick bough. The ground below, surrounded by pink petals, was spinning below him- until he realized again he was just dizzy...but it was still a long, potentially deadly drop. 

He swallowed, his head throbbing and his throat dry. 

_ "...Where am I…?" _

The scent of the petals and the gnarled patterns of the bark were so familiar to him, but in his state he couldn't remember why. 

_ "Big tree...pink petals...big tree." _

_ Really _ big tree; the ground- or what he could see of it pass all of the pink-was so far away, like the door at the end of a long hall he could never reach. How was he ever to get down? And what had become of UrVi? 

Each thought he had sent more panic spiraling through him. The bough creaked each time he attempted to right himself, and that panicked him too. 

_ "Calm down, SkekYag," _ he scolded himself,  _ "stop being a frightened podling...stop worrying about how high up you are, and stop thinking about that URRU DAMNITDAMNITDAMNIT-WHERE IS HE?!" _

His eyes roved through the sea of petals as he moved clumsily towards the trunk, searching for any sign of blue. They couldn't have died, as his own continued existence was proof of the contrary. He took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh mountain air to calm his nerves. He picked up his monocle by the chain, holding it up to his eye as he searched again- there! That wasn't a patch of sky! 

He crawled across the thick bough, claws fully unsheathed, just to get a closer look at the patch of blue below. Rough bark, ancient and gnarled, dug under his claws, but he didn't dare release his grip for even a moment. He blinked, clearing his vision, stretching his neck to get a better look- 

Relief.

Then more panic. 

UrVi was apparently unconscious, only barely hanging onto the tree by his tail, which must've become tangled in the branches as they fell. The Geologist gasped, clambering internally to grasp logic and form a plan. There had to be a way to get UrVi down without accidentally killing them both…

He only paused in his anxious musings when he heard a sound below: UrVi snorting lightly, then a soft yawn. SkekYag, from his perch, could only watch on in confused amazement as his counterpart- seemingly unperturbed at being upside down in a high tree- fished for their tinted glasses out from inside their robes and clipped them back onto their snout. 

SkekYag's feathers bristled. They had been asleep?! 

"UrVi!" 

The urru twisted their neck around to look up in the direction of his voice. Their grey hair hung far below them, tangled with petals and branches. They yawned again. 

"Hello, Skek-" 

"Don't move! I'll come to you!" He snapped, feeling no patience for pleasantries, although as soon as he said it he felt regret: he didn't know  _ how _ to climb trees. 

Well...it couldn't be worse than rock climbing. Same principles, really: hang on, don't look down, watch your footing…

Still, when climbing rocks, one didn't have to worry about so much  _ sap _ . And leaves. And bugs. So. Many.  ** _Bugs_ ** . 

Disgusted, exhausted, and in an even more sour mood than he initially woke up with, he eventually stumbled along onto the branch UrVi was hanging from. He panted, clinging to the branch on all fours, and craned his neck to peer over the edge. His counterpart was swinging contently from their branch with the use of their tail, not unlike a Swoothu. SkekYag watched the scene for a moment, and then the full realization dawned upon him, bringing in a fresh bout of rage. 

"Why didn't you just get yourself down?!" He demanded. 

UrVi shrugged. "You said you'd come to  _ me _ ." 

They pulled themselves up and perched on the branch, so naturally SkekYag would have thought they belonged in the trees. They then used their arms to pull him into their embrace, but despite everything that had passed, the Geologist found he couldn't think of anything to say. Couldn't even find the energy to resist; So he let UrVi collect him up, and they carried them both gingerly down to the ground. 

As soon as he felt solid Earth beneath his feet again, he wanted to collapse. Only the grip of his dignity prevented him from falling flat onto his face, taking in the scent of the earth...but he didn't. Instead he sniffed, drawing himself up the way he had seen the Conqueror do before one of his performances, and turned to his counterpart. 

"...Thhhhh _ ank _ you," he hissed out. He realized then it was the first time he had ever said that to UrVi. He hated it. 

If UrVi recognized the significance of the gesture, they didn't show it. They sniffed at him in return and turned their gaze up to the pink blossoms above their head. 

"This is the Sanctuary Tree," they said plainly; so strange of a tone for them. They never said anything plainly. 

SkekYag noted this on some level, but attributed it to the ordeal they had just survived. His focus instead turned to the large tree before them, so high up the mountain side...where had he seen it before? 

Right, he realized: this was the Grottan Sanctuary tree. His heart pounded at the familiarity. Why hadn't he noticed before? Maybe so long underground had muddled his sense of direction on the surface, but it seemed his heart still recalled the way; Grot had been the closest thing to a home he ever had, since he had left the Castle all that time ago…of course he should try to return to it, even unconsciously. 

He would have moved to find the entrance to the caves before UrVi could stop him, but a movement nearby caught him off guard. With a yelp he fell back as a form emerged from between the knotted roots. He reached for his pickaxe, but UrVi stood and grabbed his hands in their own, watching the figure as it came into the sunlight; he realized then from the look in UrVi's eye that they knew this creature. 

"Dreamer, it has been a long time. Who is this?" 

The deep voice spoke in a steady, calm tone, holding no malice, though the owner of it carried bow and arrow. He was another urru, larger than UrVi, his grey mane tied into a top knot and braids. His manner was all equanimity, though somewhere in his being, in the slightest movement of his feet or hands, in the way he carried himself- and even in the deep brown of his eyes- there was something eerily familiar that filled SkekYag with a sense of dread. 

He sensed UrVi tense beside him, and knew they felt it, too. Still, the Dreamer smiled and bowed their head in the newcomer's general direction. 

"UrVa. Archer, you startled us for a moment. This is SkekYag the Geologist, my counterpart," UrVi said, gesturing to the Skeksis (who was almost hiding behind him at this point) with a gentle wave. 

The Archer. Why was that familiar to SkekYag? What was it...no,  _ who  _ was it, so long ago, who held a similar title…? There was something in this UrRu's noble bearing that he almost recognized, almost knew. 

UrVa blinked at SkekYag with a clear lack of interest but smiled all the same; out of politeness, SkekYag guessed grimly. He leaned on his bow, the wood creaking slightly from his weight. 

"I didn't know he traveled above the ground. Nonetheless, it's a welcome coincidence that we should meet here. Greetings to you as well, Geologist." 

He bowed his head to each of them, and UrVi bowed in turn. When they rose again after this ritual of greeting, UrVa was reaching behind his back. 

"After the storm passed, I found this. I figured then that you were nearby." 

Strapped beside his quiver was a double-necked instrument, stringed and hollowed out in its oblong body; UrVi's sitar, a little worse for wear, but not unrepairable. SkekYag hadn't even noticed that UrVi had lost it to begin with, so he couldn't say that  _ he _ was particularly happy to see it. 

But UrVi, as usual, saw things differently; his expression lit up, becoming as bright as the Brothers' rising, as soon as he recognized what it was UrVa held. He reached out for it, taking it and hugging it to himself like an old friend. 

"Oh thank Thra!" UrVi cried, "UrVa, thank  _ you _ ! I thought I had lost this forever!" 

UrVa seemed to approve of this, and his smile grew a little more pronounced. He sat back on his haunches, reaching up to run his fingers through the thick mane on his neck in a manner SkekYag thought was a little too smug. 

"I was simply fortunate to have found it, and fortunate again that it wasn't damaged." 

UrVi strapped their beloved instrument to their back again, though all of their graceful movements were somehow tense and stilted. Their relaxed manner was more restrained, almost forced...as if they were just putting on some sort of facade. 

It was unusual from UrVi, but SkekYag was not too surprised to bear witness to it; he never doubted his counterpart to be the deceitful sort. One prone to putting on facades to please others...bitterly, he wondered what sort of mask the Dreamer put on to please  _ him _ . What sort of joke they were playing to string him along for so long, and what the inevitable punchline would be. 

He had been so wrapped up in his own ruminations, he hadn't noticed that UrVi and the Archer's conversation had turned and changed. They moved about, heading down the hillside, and with alarm he realized he was being left behind. 

"Hey!" He snapped, rushing after their disappearing tails, "What about me? Aren't we going to make sure  ** _I_ ** have all my things? How on Thra are you suddenly so  _ fast- _ hey? Hello? HEY! " 

But neither urru turned to acknowledge him. They continued on with their pleasant talk, punctuated occasionally by UrVi's laughter (too loud to be appropriate, SkekYag thought,) or some sort of bewildering axiom from UrVa's side. Neither Mystic so much as twitched at his yelling after them. It was as if they were so wrapped up in themselves, they didn't recognize anything else. 

It was only after his lungs nearly gave out for the fourth time did he realize it was a moot effort. The urru continued on their journey, ignoring him all the while until they reached a grove. Without a single word of the matter to one another, they effortlessly made camp, pitching up a shelter made of dead branches and ferns big enough for two (two? What about him?) and starting up a firepit. 

UrVa looked up from where he was tying two branches together and smiled at UrVi's attempts with flint and a dagger- something SkekYag had been unaware Urvi even carried. 

"Watch your hair, Dreamer. I wouldn't want you to set yourself aflame again." 

UrVi chuckled, though one of his hands absent-mindedly brushed a silver loc over his shoulder. 

"That was an unfortunate day. I was lucky to not set the entire forest aflame with my prancing about." 

"But you jumped into that river before any damage was caused, though I wonder how you found it with all that hair covering your eyes back then." 

"I had my methods. They weren't always effective, as you could attest- I ran into trees more often than I care to admit." 

"That you did! You had a welt the size of UrSu's fist on your forehead when I saw you the next unum. Do you  _ ever _ cut your hair?" The Archer chuckled. 

UrVi found success to their efforts and quickly covered the little flame in a soft blanket of kindling. It rose, filling the space with light and warmth. The Dreamer brushed their hands off on the front of their robes and raised an eyebrow at UrVa's remark. 

"I trim it every now and again, I will have you know," they said saucily, "when it gets too long for me to do anything. How else would I cause as much mischief as I do?" 

UrVa finished up with the makeshift shelter and sat near the fire, placing his chin in a hand with a smile towards his company. 

"Hm. Someone ought to tie you up with all that hair, then. Keep you out of trouble." 

"Was that a threat, Bow? Or a promise?" UrVi smirked and placed their hands on their hips. 

"Neither, Long Hair. Unless you force my hands." 

"Not while the Geologist is about. I'll behave tonight for his sake." 

It was the first time he had been acknowledged, and he pounced upon it like a starving predator. 

"Great! So you'll behave tonight, and in the morning we'll say our goodbyes and part ways."

What he had meant was that he would part ways with both of them. After this adventure he wanted nothing more than to return to Grot, to forget he had even met UrVi, or that this entire adventure had even happened. The only reason he didn't turn tail and leave now was because rest sounded almost agreeable after what he had suffered through. 

UrVi and UrVa both turned to him, UrVi with a plain sniff and UrVa blinking as if he had only now noticed he existed. 

"No," UrVi said, "UrVa is a friend of mine. I haven't seen him in a good few trine, so I think I'll be enjoying his company for a little while longer. Besides, this would be a good opportunity for you to catch up on your mineral journaling, wouldn't it, Geologist?" 

That flat tone held a hostile energy SkekYag could just barely percieve. What was their issue? Were they actually irritated with him? 

_ "It wasn't my fault that storm came, if that's what he's mad about," _ he grumbled internally,  _ "Oh well. He'll get over himself." _

But alas, much to his disappointment, UrVi had a point; he hadn't taken ample time to journal in quite awhile. He glared towards both urru as he pulled out a book and ink, hoping to catch them with the sight of his displeasure; but neither seemed to notice, again wrapping themselves in the quiet world of their reminiscing. 

SkekYag realized then that he very much didn't enjoy being ignored. He very well could have just crawled back to the caves of Grot if that would have pleased UrVi...but paradoxically, that was the very reason he stayed. He  _ wanted _ UrVi to notice him, to be annoyed and displeased with his presence- something, anything, other than this flat, immutable coldness. 

Especially when his counterpart was being anything but cold towards his fellow urru. He watched like an embittered sentry during the days that passed, a silent observer over the pair. They worked together in a tranquil synchronicity, preparing meals (filled with more vegetables than Skeksis fare, SkekYag was chagrined to see), and occasionally sitting together under a tree. 

As they did this rather peculiar (and disgustingly sanguine) activity, SkekYag noticed that they shared some sort of herb out of a box. This they would stuff in a gracious amount into their pipes-one smooth wood, the other of carved sodalite-and light them from some source; Shortly thereafter, the air around the campsite would be thick with horrid smoke that smelled balmy and arcane. 

Yet despite the coughing fits he suffered, neither of the two would look up for a moment. He glared at them for this inactive transgression. Though it was not his intention, it gave him ample time to study them; UrVa, it seemed, smoked thoughtfully, expelling the fumes from his mouth in great rings and speaking slowly in between. UrVi was not as steady; he inhaled in breaths too great for that fragile ribcage, the smoke expelling from his nose as he spoke or between sharp teeth when they cackled at one of UrVa's strange jokes. 

It was sickening to behold. Just watching UrVi lean his head on UrVa's shoulder, cooing sweetly in that grating manner, always made SkekYag's stomach churn in rage; even more so when UrVa would lean in turn, resting his chin on the top of their head as he spoke. 

More infuriating, he could never understand what they were talking about; They spoke the same language as he did, and yet the allusions of past memories and pieces of sagely wisdom they passed between themselves sounded like some sort of jargon he wasn't meant to understand. And indeed, perhaps he wasn't meant to. He would never know, because they never asked him or made any effort to include him in their conversations. 

Days had passed like that, dragging by almost as slow as their meandering discussions. His journaling had been finished at this point, leaving him only room for an exasperating idleness that quite drained him of energy. He had been utterly consumed by it, taking to laying on a pile of dead leaves and watching the two urru in their favorite activity as hours passed by. 

He laid on his back, careful to not crush his secondary arms, and watched them from a upside-down view. It didn't provide much difference. It was all the same thing, only slightly more interesting because it was in a new perspective. 

_ Insufferable.  _

He nosed through the leaves next to his beak, so that some sort of small insect might be skewered on the sharp edge. Not that he was truly hungry; he just hoped- vaguely- that perhaps ending an insect's life may stave off some of this stagnant suffering called boredom. Meanwhile, a malevolent eye swiveled in his skull to continue the dull observation. 

They continued to talk, slipping into a dialogue SkekYag truly didn't understand, but somewhat knew; it was a cousin language of Skeksish, of that he was certain, though while the tongue of his people was always uttered harshly and supplemented with clicks of the tongue or a hiss, the tongue of the urru was like music. They practically hummed, almost singing in harmony at parts where their voices interlaced in conversation. 

It was during a pause, a rare pause, that they stopped to smoke and contemplate what they had discussed. UrVa tilted his head upward towards the Brothers in his thought, and when the light hit his face from that angle, SkekYag realized that UrVa's eyes weren't brown. 

They were  _ red _ . 

A shade of red so dark as to first appear brown from a distance, the same hideous shade of dried blood. It occurred to him then that he had known someone once, someone with red eyes, someone who shared a corrupted version of UrVa's bearing. 

" _ This is SkekMal's other." _

The thought struck him horribly. He wanted to snatch his counterpart away from the Archer, to protect them from the evil SkekMal was capable of; he no longer saw the kindly mystic curled up with the Dreamer- he could only see the Hunter's evil shadow, waiting to pounce. Waiting to tear the life out of them both… 

He rolled onto his belly, bracing himself with his arms as if he might spring to do this at any moment; but UrVi was in no immediate danger. His sudden start had caught their eye, however. A navy blue orb, dilated from whatever herb they were burning in their pipe, turned towards him for the first time in what felt like trine. UrVi sniffed. 

"...Geologist?" UrVi said, not a real question, but some sign of acknowledgment. 

He was already in position to pounce, and he did, though really, he wasn't sure why, but he didn't stop until he was underneath the tree, glaring down at his counterpart while keeping a wary eye on the Hunter's. 

"I'm leaving," he said abruptly, standing akimbo, "and- and there's nothing you can do about it, puerile urru." 

Both urru blinked at him dumbly, apathetic to his outburst. UrVi lifted his pipe to his lips, inhaled so long and deeply SkekYag could feel the strain in his own lungs, then slowly exhaled. The smoke hit SkekYag in the face, making him cough. 

"So be it, Geologist. I am helpless to stop you." 

Again, that plain tone. SkekYag was growing to despise it, but even more so for how...dismissive it was. He had expected UrVi to care somewhat, after all they went through. Expected UrVi to at least argue with him. He grinded his fangs together, hoping UrVi could feel it in his, too. 

"...Well...fine, but...but not…" 

UrVi raised his eyebrows an inch, but showed no other sign of being particularly moved. SkekYag hissed. 

"Not until I know you're not mad at me anymore!" He snapped. 

UrVi tilted his head, removing the pipe from his lips to blow another soft cloud of smoke. 

"...Mad at you? Now...why...would I be mad?" 

Something about his tone now felt sardonic, almost sarcastic, had it not been for UrVi's dull, half-lidded expression. 

"To Grot if I know! I haven't done anything! You riddle me that, mystic!" 

The Archer said nothing during the entire exchange, watching with all the interest of someone examining a pebble. Once or twice his eyes shifted between them during the course of their argument - if it could be called that, with UrVi's demeanor- but he never once made a sound. Good. SkekYag was certain he just might scream should he have to deal with  _ two _ Urru bearing down on him, with their aggravating, insurmountable calm. 

UrVi tilted his head back, tapping his chin as he thought. 

"What did you do?" He cooed, "Hmmm...Let's see...well, you tried to get us killed, for starters." 

"I did not-!" 

UrVi held up a hand calmly. Another puff of smoke punctuated their last sentence, then preceded the next: 

"...You pushed us through rain and storm, running us ragged up a near 90 degree incline, then attempted to leave me behind when I could not keep up with you. You then attempted to abandon me, and after Thra was merciful enough to let us live despite our foolishness, you didn't even apologize." 

All of this was said without so much as a single furrow over UrVi's brow, but there was a distinction in tone that made SkekYag-  _ forced _ him- to acknowledge that it was all true, and that in fact, he was the reprobate responsible for their joint sufferings. His fists clenched, his claws unsheathing in an instinctive urge to attack and dominate, to deny it all, to pin it all on UrVi and their mystic silliness. 

But he could not deny what was so true. His shoulders slackened, as if unable to bear the burden placed upon them. His beak opened as if to make yet another attempt to defend himself, but it closed, presumably defeated by the futility of the argument. He already knew he was wrong. 

UrVi watched him patiently, smoke rising out of his nostrils and fading into the foliage high above their heads, so still as to almost appear part of the tree itself. He was waiting for something, and SkekYag knew exactly what it was…

_ "Oh, I shouldn't,"  _ he thought bitterly,  _ "he'll be  _ ** _so smug _ ** _ about it...Besides, why should I apologize? It's not like I knew that storm meant all of this would happen...but...I very well can't leave with UrVi mad at me…"  _

But why this was so was a mystery to him. Why did he care if UrVi was mad at him? It wasn't because he wanted the last word. Maybe...maybe part of him- some small, foolish,  _ sentimental _ part of him- felt guilt for what had happened. Felt guilty that UrVi- someone who had done him no particular harm, really- had been upset by his actions. 

If so...yuck. He hated feelings. 

But he couldn't deny them retribution, either. He would regret it...and he hated that, too. 

A long, drawn out sigh followed his resolution. 

"Fine...UrVi, I'm sorry." He grumbled. 

UrVi's expression did not change. Not even the slightest signs of softening showed themselves on that bleak, stone face, not one single line moved to allay the disappointment. 

UrVa raised his brows, the first sign of emotion he had shown all this while. 

"...That didn't sound like an apology," he said, his tone somehow both jovial and mocking. 

SkekYag grinded his fangs, shooting UrVa a look full of fire and brimstone. 

"Shut up!" He snapped, "This doesn't concern you, you hairy, long-necked bogan! I've studied traces of silicate more interesting than you!" 

UrVa's brows raised again, but he shrugged and went back to smoking his pipe as though he hadn't spoken. SkekYag snorted at the display of the typical mystic apathy and returned his attentions on UrVi, barring his teeth as if to unleash the full brunt of his wrath upon him. UrVi met this ruthless gaze with serenity, and again, SkekYag's entire posture relaxed. 

His feathers and hackles slowly lowered, his teeth retreated, his breath came in more calm, deeper takes. It was as if those dark blue eyes, reflections of his own, drew out all of the rage and replaced it with calm reasoning. 

_ "Because this is me. I'm always kind to myself."  _

Almost always. He closed his eyes to avoid UrVi's, inhaling slowly. 

"...UrVi," he said at last, "I'm...I really am sorry. I am. You have my fullest and most sincere apology. My actions were reckless and endangered us. I should have been more thoughtful and considerate…" 

His feathers raised some, not in anger, but a gesture of hopefulness. 

"...Forgive me?...I could...I could make it up to you. Before I leave, I mean." 

He regretted that as soon as it came out of his beak- the last part. Strangely...the rest of it was not as agonizing as he had assumed it would be. He almost felt  _ better.  _

And it seemed his words had affected UrVi in much the same manner. They smiled, the lines at the corners of their eyes creasing in that familiar (dare he admit...welcome?) pattern. The pipe was snuffed out, ashes properly dumped, and UrVi rose, hand on hip, leaning on their staff. 

"Oh, you'll be making it up to me alright, Shrill Shrookill. You'll see," They said, that twinkle of mischief returning to their eye. 

SkekYag rolled his. 

"Oh, I already am, I'm sure." He knew better than to groan too much, however. 

UrVi smiled slyly then and leaned forward, ignoring his comment.

"You'll make it up to me...our paths are not due to diverge quite yet. I've seen what letting you lead us gets us into...so now we're going to go where  _ I _ want to go…We will not return to Grot." 

SkekYag's feathers puffed up, his eyes widening. He clenched his fists, wanting to object, but under UrVi's glare he was cowed. At last he sighed and hung his head. 

"...Fine. Where do you want to go?" 

UrVi smiled. "...We, Shrill Shrookill, are going to Stone-in-the-Wood." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I gave UrVa red eyes because in the books it describes SkekMal as having red eyes and so you know what? I thought that was pretty cool. 
> 
> Also here I made the Sanctuary Tree absolutely enormous for dramatic effect.

**Author's Note:**

> Something I made up. This will just be a bunch of random drabbles about my boys and will be posted in no chronological order. If you want to know more about them you can check it out on my tumblr at DracoCheesecake!  
Thanks for reading! <3


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